A Learning-by-Doing Approach to Entrepreneurship Education: Evidence from a Short Intensive Online International Program

Entrepreneurial Intention Among Engineering Students: The Moderating Role of Entrepreneurship Education in Japan

With the growing interest in entrepreneurship, increased attention has been paid to entrepreneurship education. In recent years, attention has been paid to entrepreneurship education in engineering majors. This study examines the impact of attitude, subjective norms, and self-efficacy toward entrepreneurial intention and the moderating role of entrepreneurship education among students at the National Institute of Technology, Tsuruoka College, Japan. This study was grounded in the theory of planned behavior and social cognitive theory, suggesting a new approach to examining entrepreneurship education in engineering students. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 275 Japanese students (150 second-year students and 125 fourth-year students). Employing structural equation modeling, the findings indicated that attitude and self-efficacy significantly influence entrepreneurship intentions, with notable differences between the second- and fourth-year students. Results have suggested focusing both on project-based learning and theory-based learning to nurture knowledge, skill, and mindset to comprehensively develop entrepreneurial intention.

Effectiveness of a theory-based educational intervention on work-related musculoskeletal disorders preventive behaviors among assembly-line female workers: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The use of preventive behaviors of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) requires proper training, which leads to correct decisions regarding maintaining postures at work and performing stretching exercises. Due to very repetitive work, applying manual force, improper postures, and static contractions of proximal muscles, assembly-line female workers suffer from musculoskeletal pains. It is assumed that structured and theory-based educational intervention using a learning-by-doing (LBD) approach may increase the preventive behaviors against MSDs and reduce the consequences of these disorders.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted in three phases: phase 1: validation of the compiled questionnaire, phase 2: determining the social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs that predict the preventive behaviors of MSDs in assembly-line female workers, and phase 3: designing and implementing the educational theory. The educational intervention is based on the LBD approach, and the study population includes assembly-line female workers in electronic industries of Iran, who are randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the educational intervention in the workplace and the control group does not receive any intervention. The theory-based educational intervention includes evidence-based information along with pictures, fact sheets, and published literature about a good posture at work and the need to perform proper stretching exercises. The educational intervention aims to improve the knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and intention of assembly-line female workers to adopt preventive behaviors of MSDs.

DISCUSSION

The present study will evaluate the effects of maintaining a good posture at work and performing stretching exercises on the adherence to preventive behaviors of MSDs among assembly-line female workers. The developed intervention is easily implemented and evaluated in a short period of time based on the improved score of the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method and the mean score of adherence to stretching exercises and can be provided by a health, safety, and environment (HSE) expert.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov IRCT20220825055792N1. Registered on 23 September 2022 with the IRCTID.

Putting Entrepreneurial Process Competence into the Focus in Entrepreneurship Education: Experience from Estonian Universities

Although entrepreneurship at the university level has constantly been evolving, little research has been done on what competencies should be developed in entrepreneurship education (EE) and how EE relates to the core of entrepreneurship—the entrepreneurial process competence. This article seeks to develop and empirically measure the entrepreneurial process competence in the context of EE. A self-assessment questionnaire based on the ‘generic’ entrepreneurship competence model, improved with the section on entrepreneurial process competence, was used to assess the impact of EE intervention in major Estonian universities. The survey took place in two stages: the same questions were repeated at the beginning and end of the course in the 2019 autumn semester. It gave the responses of 355 students and showed the varied and small positive individual-level impact of entrepreneurship courses on minor aspects of ‘generic’ competences in different universities, depending on training methodology, study volume and contact hours. At the same time, all the competencies of the entrepreneurial process grew significantly. Readiness to start own business did not change. The article recommends focusing on entrepreneurial process competencies and their acquisition for development and metrics of entrepreneurship learning progression.